Wooden Doll
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, gouache, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 34.6 x 27.2 cm (13 5/8 x 10 11/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 12 1/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15570
Art Historical Context
**Wooden Doll**, a captivating rendering by Jane Iverson from around 1936, captures the charm of an early American folk art doll standing 12¼ inches tall. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), this mixed-media work on paper—measuring 13⅝ × 10¹¹⁄₁₆ inches—employs watercolor, graphite, gouache, pen, and ink to vividly document a humble wooden figure. Iverson's precise yet lively depiction highlights the doll's carved features, simple joints, and painted details, evoking the handmade toys of colonial and early American homes. The IAD, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progre...
About the Artist
Jane Iverson
Jane Iverson is an artist whose biographical details — including her dates, nationality, and training — are not well represented in the major art historical reference sources currently available. The limited documentation surrounding her career makes it difficult to characterize her practice in relation to any specific school, movement, or period. Works attributed to Iverson in museum collections...